The USC Gould School of Law offers a premiere inter-professional education to highly motivated students preparing for a career that will span the coming decades. As the legal profession continues to evolve, no school is better positioned to provide the education that will be the platform for the next generation of lawyers who will practice on a world-wide stage. The legal profession is dynamic, and USC Gould School of Law has always taken pride in adapting its methods to provide a legal education tailored to needs of the current environment, while maintaining its strong core commitments.

From your first day on campus, you'll notice that USC Gould School of Law is different. It's small enough to actually be a community in the real sense of the word even though USC is one the country's largest research universities, and located in the second largest city in the U.S. People know your name here, faculty and administration are accessible, and your success is everyone's priority.

USC Gould School of Law is a private, highly selective national law school with a 100-year history and a reputation for academic excellence. Under the leadership of a stellar, energetic faculty, the school's rigorous, interdisciplinary program focuses on the law as an expression of social values and an instrument for implementing social goals. USC is known for its diverse student body, its leadership in clinical education, and its tight-knit alumni network composed of national leaders in the legal profession, business, and the public sector. With approximately 185-190 J.D. students and 125-150 graduate international students in each class, the school is small, informal, and collegial.

Leon Benwell Professor of Law, International Relations and Political ScienceUSC Gould School of Law

Edwin Smith is a singular expert on international law, international relations theory and foreign relations law. He holds joint appointments as a professor of law and of international relations. Professor Smith teaches Public International Law, International Organizations, Contracts, and seminars on Foreign Relations Law, the Law of War and the United Nations.

Professor Smith’s publications include “Ralph Bunche: Peacemaking in Transition” in Ralph Johnson Bunche: A Nobel Peace Laureate Influencing public intellectualism and Diplomacy (University of Illinois Press, 2008), “Collective Security, Peacekeeping, and Ad Hoc Multilateralism” in Democratic Accountability and the Use of Force in International Law (Cambridge University Press, 2003) and The United Nations in a New World Order (with Schechter, Keck Center for International and Strategic Studies, Claremont McKenna College, 1994).

A magna cum laude graduate of Harvard University, Professor Smith received his J.D. from Harvard Law School. Prior to joining the USC Law faculty in 1980, Professor Smith was an associate with Rosenfeld, Meyer & Sussman, a staff attorney for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and a research associate with the Institute for Marine and Coastal Studies. He also served as special counsel for foreign policy to United States Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan. He was appointed by President Clinton as a science and policy advisor to the United States Arms Control and Disarmament Agency and has lectured internationally on United Nations-NATO cooperation in peacekeeping.

Books

The United Nations in a New World Order (with Michael G. Schechter) (Keck Center for International and Strategic Studies, Claremont McKenna College, 1994).

Articles and Book Chapters

"Collective Security, Peacekeeping, and Ad Hoc Multilateralism." In Democratic Accountability and the Use of Force in International Law (Charlotte Ku and Harold K. Jacobson, eds) (Cambridge University Press, 2003).

"The War Powers Resolution." In Encyclopedia of U.S. Foreign Relations (Bruce W. Jentleson and Thomas G. Paterson, eds.) (Oxford University Press, 1997).

"The United Nations and NATO: The Limits on Cooperation between International Organizations." In Trilateral Perspectives on International Legal Issues: Relevance of Domestic Law and Policy (Michael K. Young and Yuji Iwasawa, eds.) (Transnational Publishers, Inc., 1996).

"Collective Security and Collective Defense: Changing Conceptions and Institutions." In The United Nations in a New World Order (The Keck Center for International and Strategic Studies, 1993).

"The United Nations: Meeting the Challenges of the Post-Cold War World" (with Keith R. Krause and Brian Urquhart). 1993 Proceedings of the Annual Meeting - American Society of International Law 268.
- (Hein)

"The Need for Effective Multilateral Sanctions." 1992 Proceedings of the Annual Meeting - American Society of International Law 303.
- (Hein)

"Commentary on Arms Control Agreements and Dynamic Obligations." In Law and Force in the New International Order (Damrosch and D. Scheffer, eds.) (Westview, 1991).

"Congressional Authorization of Nuclear First Use: Problems of Implementation." In Proceedings of Airline House Conference on First Use of Nuclear Weapons: Under the Constitution, Who Decides? (P. Raven-Hansen, ed.) (Greenwood Press, 1987).